Most present day golf balls comprise an inner core and an outer cover. The inner core is most commonly a solid homogeneous mass, consisting of polybutadiene, various monomers, fillers and additives. The outer cover is most commonly made of a softenable material, such as natural rubber or a thermoplastic such as Surlyn (trade mark of Du Pont). Also, a winding composed of natural or synthetic rubber thread may be wound around the core, such that the winding is situated between the core and the cover. As used herein, the "core" of a golf ball includes all material below the cover of the ball, such that such windings are considered to be part of the core of the ball.
When golf balls are used repeatedly, as occurs at driving ranges, the cover of the golf ball is often cut or marked by club contact with the ball, by contact of the ball with the ground after being hit, or when the balls are picked up off the range and washed for reuse.
If the cover of a golf ball is cut or marked in this manner, the trajectory of the golf ball will be adversely affected. For example, such imperfections alter the wind resistance of the ball and also may change the ball's centre of gravity and moment of inertia. Thus, golfers who go to a driving range to improve their game will not be able to accurately determine how well they are hitting the ball, due to the cuts, marks and other blemishes on the outer cover of the golf balls.
Currently, if a driving range wishes to maintain its stock of balls in good condition, balls that have been cut or marked must be identified and then replaced. Due to the expense associated with replacing cut balls with new balls, most driving ranges delay replacing cut balls until the covers are severely marked, well after the balls' performance is affected by the cuts and marks.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for removing a softenable cover from a golf ball so that the inner core may be recovered and reused.